January 10, 2013 — In addition to this week's NewsBreak(s), the editors have compiled the Weekly News Digest, featuring stories from the week just past that you should know about. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.

Blekko, the spam -free search engine, announcedthe launch of izik, its new free search app built specifically with the iPad and Android tablets in mind. With izik, every search on your tablet is transformed into a glossy page that uses rich images, categories, and gesture controls.

The goal with izik was to move the task-oriented search product we all use on our computers (aka 10 blue links) and turn it into a more fun, tablet-appropriate product. That means it has an image-rich layout with an appearance and experience very different than what we’re used to seeing on a laptop.

With izik, your query becomes the starting point to exploring the web. Every query surfaces its own unique set of categories that you can explore. These categories are what allow you to type less but get more. Many folks find typing on tablets cumbersome. izik is designed to get you the results you’re looking for in as few “keystrokes” as possible. izik uses its categories to provide context to your topic (did you mean buffalo the animal or buffalo the city?) as well as surface fun and interesting topics to assist in your exploration.

Here are the key tablet gesture features you can check out once you’ve entered a topic:

1. Swipe horizontally to view more results within one of the thousands of izik categories 2. Swipe vertically on the page to find more categories related to your topic 3. Expand any result to see more without leaving the page 4. Swipe through expanded results and images 5. Quick answer boxes that help you find what you need right away 6. Pinch to share on Facebook and Twitter